Patent Application
20240238642
People perform various exercise activities on exercise machines, often within an indoor environment, such as their home, a gym or fitness club, a training facility, and so on. For example, people run on a treadmill or other exercise machine having a moving surface controlled by a motor. The moving surface, or running surface, upon which a person walks or runs moves over or around a deck or other supporting assembly.
The running surface can be a belt-based surface, a slat-based surface, or other type of surface that moves around the deck, enabling the person (e.g., a runner) to walk, jog, and/or run at different speeds or inclines.
Embodiments of the present technology will be described and explained through the use of the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings, some components are not drawn to scale, and some components and/or operations can be separated into different blocks or combined into a single block for discussion of some of the implementations of the present technology. Moreover, while the technology is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific implementations have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, is not to limit the technology to the particular implementations described. On the contrary, the technology is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the technology as defined by the appended claims.
Various devices, systems and methods that enhance an exercise activity performed by a user are described. In some embodiments, the various devices, systems, methods, and apparatuses utilize sensors to control the operation of a treadmill based on a detected position, movement, or actions of a user on a moving treadmill.
In some embodiments, a treadmill includes a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor. The ToF sensor detects a position of a user (e.g., a runner on a moving belt or running surface of the treadmill), and, based on the detected position (or changes of the position over time), controls the operation of the treadmill, such as by maintaining a current operation of the belt or running surface and/or modifying operation of the running belt or surface.
For example, the treadmill and/or a control system associated with the treadmill can determine a user is positioned on a certain area, zone, or location of the treadmill (e.g., a front, middle, or rear area of the running surface of the treadmill) and modify the operation of the treadmill in response to the determined or detected position. The treadmill can speed up when the user is detected to be on a front area or zone of the running surface, can slow down when the user is detected to be on a rear area or zone of the running surface, and/or can maintain a current speed when the user is detected to be in a middle or center area or zone of the running surface.
Thus, the treadmill can enhance the experience of the user by modifying operations (without user input) to facilitate the user being located at a center or middle of the treadmill throughout an exercise activity on the treadmill. Further, the treadmill can determine, using the ToF sensors, whether a user is no longer on the treadmill, is running with poor form or with abnormal movement (e.g., possibly indicating a potential fall) or otherwise operating the treadmill unsafely, and cause the treadmill to adjust operations to return to safe or optimal operational conditions, among other benefits.
Various embodiments of the apparatuses, devices, systems, and methods will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and an enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that these embodiments may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail, so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments. The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments.
The technology described herein is directed, in some embodiments, to various mechanical or sensor-based technologies that can prevent objects from entering an area under a treadmill deck or otherwise modify operations of the treadmill upon detecting or determining an object has entered, or is being prevented from entering, the area under the treadmill.
As described herein, the systems and methods can utilize information that identifies a position of a runner on a running surface of a treadmill to control the operation of the treadmill.
As depicted in
The treadmill 100 can include a sensor 125, such as a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor, which emits a beam (e.g., a laser or infrared (IR) beam) 120 to detect the position of the runner. In
However, the runner 110 can move back towards a center area (as shown in
As described herein, in some embodiments, the treadmill 100 includes or is associated with a treadmill control system, which functions to control operations of a treadmill (e.g., the treadmill 100) in response to detecting or determining a location of a runner on a running surface of a treadmill.
The treadmill control system 200 can include one or more modules and/or components to perform one or more operations of the treadmill control system 200. The modules may be hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software, and may be executed by one or more processors. For example, the system 200 may include a zone detection module 202, an operation modification module 204, and a user movement module 206.
In some embodiments, the zone detection module 202 is configured and/or programmed to detect a position of a user of a treadmill being within a distinct zone of multiple detection zones that are mapped to a running surface of the treadmill. For example, the zone detection module 202 can access, receive, or otherwise utilize information captured by a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor 210 to detect the position of the user of the treadmill being within the distinct zone of the multiple detection zones.
The ToF sensor 210 emits a laser signal (e.g., like IR, or other pulsed ranging sensor), and measures a time interval or duration for which the signals reflect off an object and back to the sensor 210. While a detection plane of a signal increases in size as the signals travel, the sensor 210 can accurately detect objects at distances up to 4 meters, and thus are suitable for detecting the location or position of a user on a treadmill.
As described herein, the module 202 can map multiple detection zones to the running surface of a treadmill. The detection zones can include, for example, a front detection zone that represents a front area of the running surface of a treadmill, a center detection zone that represents a center area of the running surface of the belt, and/or a rear detection zone that represents a rear area of the running surface of the belt.
For example, given a running surface having a length of five feet, the front detection zone 310 can have or define a distance range of 0-1 feet from the front of the running surface, the center detection zone 320 can have or define a distance range of 1-4 feet, and the rear detection zone 330 can have or define a range of 4-5 feet. Thus, when the zone detection module 202 detects a runner is located at 0.75 feet from the front of the running surface, the module 202 determines the runner is in the front detection zone 310. As another example, the widths of the detection zones can be similar or equal (e.g., a treadmill with a 45-inch running surface can have three equal zones with a common width of 15 inches).
Of course, the configuration of the detection zones, the size of the zones, the number of zones, and the configuration, shape, or geometry of the zones can vary. Thus, the running surface can be mapped to two zones, three zones, four zones, five zones, and so on, or can include zones surrounded by other zones.
In some embodiments, the operation modification module 204 is configured and/or programmed to modify a current operation of the treadmill based on the detected position of the user of the treadmill within the distinct zone of the multiple detection zones that are mapped to the running surface. The module 204 can receive information from the zone detection module 202 that identifies the zone in which a runner is located and cause a controller 220 (e.g., a control circuit) of the treadmill to perform an action to modify, adjust, or control current operation of the treadmill.
For example, the module 204 can map each detection zone to an action or actions to perform to control the operation of the treadmill. For example, the operation modification module 204 causes movement of the running surface to speed up when the zone detection module 202 detects that the position of the user is within the front detection zone 310 and/or causes movement of the running surface to slow down when the zone detection module 202 detects that the position of the user is within the rear detection zone 330. However, when the module 202 detects the user in within the center detection zone 320, the module 204 does not modify operations, because the user is properly or optimally located on the running surface.
In some cases, the module 204 modifies different types of operations of the treadmill. For example, the module 204 can perform an action to modify a current speed of movement of the running surface of the treadmill (e.g., speed up or slow down a belt of the treadmill), perform an action to modify a current incline position of the deck of the treadmill, and/or perform an action to adjust the speed and incline of the running surface based on the location of the user.
In some embodiments, the operation modification module 204 can notify or alert a runner based on their position on the running surface. For example, the module 204 can present a visual or audio alert or message via a user interface (UI) 230 of the treadmill (e.g., the display 117) that indicates the runner is at a location that is sub-optimal. The module 204, via the UI 230, can perform an action to alert the runner to move to a center zone and/or notify the runner of an imminent or intended modification of the current operation of the treadmill.
In some cases, the module 204 can first notify the runner of the sub-optimal position or location on the running surface, and when the runner does not move to a center zone or area of the running surface in response to the notification, modify a current speed of movement of the running surface of the treadmill.
In some embodiments, the user movement module 206 is configured and/or programmed to track or capture information associated with a movement of the runner, such as movement of the legs of the runner. For example, one or more ToF sensors 210 located near the deck of lower section of the treadmill can detect or capture position, velocity, and/or acceleration information for the legs of a runner and provide that information to the user movement module 206. The module 204 can then modify operations based on the captured information, such as when the information indicates abnormal movement of the runner's legs.
Aspects of the system can be embodied in a special purpose computing device or data processor that is specifically programmed, configured, or constructed to perform one or more of the computer-executable instructions explained in detail herein. Aspects of the system may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks or modules are performed by remote processing devices, which are linked through a communications network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or the Internet. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Aspects of the system may be stored or distributed on computer-readable media (e.g., physical and/or tangible non-transitory computer-readable storage media), including magnetically or optically readable computer discs, hard-wired or preprogrammed chips (e.g., EEPROM semiconductor chips), nanotechnology memory, or other data storage media. Indeed, computer implemented instructions, data structures, screen displays, and other data under aspects of the system may be distributed over the Internet or over other networks (including wireless networks), or they may be provided on any analog or digital network (packet switched, circuit switched, or other scheme). Portions of the system may reside on a server computer, while corresponding portions may reside on a client computer such as an exercise machine, display device, or mobile or portable device, and thus, while certain hardware platforms are described herein, aspects of the system are equally applicable to nodes on a network. In some cases, the mobile device or portable device may represent the server portion, while the server may represent the client portion.
As described herein, the systems and methods, in some embodiments, control a treadmill based on a position of runner or user on a running surface of the treadmill.
In operation 410, the system 200 captures position information via a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor. For example, the zone detection module 202 can access, receive, or otherwise utilize information captured by the ToF sensor 210 to detect the position of the user of the treadmill being within the distinct zone of the multiple detection zones.
In operation 420, the system 200 identifies a zone of multiple zones mapped to the running surface based on the captured position information. For example, the module 202 can map multiple detection zones to the running surface of the treadmill and determine the position of the runner within a front detection zone that represents a front area of the running surface of the treadmill, a center detection zone that represents a center area of the running surface of the treadmill and/or a rear detection zone that represents a rear area of the running surface of the treadmill.
In some cases, the system 200 can determine that the runner is within a specific detection zone as well as determine whether the runner is moving within the zone, such as moving towards or away from the front of the running surface while in the zone. For example, the module 202 can determine based on the ToF sensor 210 data that the user is within the center detection zone (e.g., using the position data) and moving towards the front of the running surface (e.g., using velocity data or multiple position data points).
In some cases, the zones are mapped to values of specific control operations, such as in a corresponding data structure (e.g., a lookup table) that is associated with the treadmill control system 200. For example, the detection zones depicted in
These values can be configurable by the system 200 and/or by the runner, and thus can be specific to a runner or workout parameters. Further, such values can be specific to a time or duration during which the runner is a specific detection zone. For example, the front detection zone 310 can be associated with the 0.5 mph increase in speed for a first time interval (e.g., five seconds) in which the runner is in the zone 310, and a 0.7 mph increase in speed when the runner is in the zone 310 during a second time interval (e.g., any time greater than five seconds).
Of course, the system 200, via the module 202, can utilize other data structures or mappings when determining what modification values to apply to the operation of the treadmill. For example, the module 202 can utilize a graph or chart (e.g., specific to each zone) that relates operation values to distances along the length of the running surface (or within each detection zone).
In operation 430, the system 200 modifies operation of the treadmill based on the identified zone. For example, the module 204 can perform an action to modify a current speed of movement of the running surface of the treadmill (e.g., speed up or slow down a belt of the treadmill), perform an action to modify a current incline position of the deck of the treadmill, and/or perform an action to adjust the speed and incline of the running surface based on the location of the user.
In some cases, the module 204 can utilize position and movement information when modifying operation of the treadmill. For example, the zone detection module 202 can indicate that the runner is in a front detection zone and moving away from the front of the running surface and cause the speed of the treadmill to increase more slowly than if the runner was not moving away from the front, but still in the zone.
Thus, as described herein, a treadmill can include various sensors capable of tracking, detecting, and/or capturing a position of a user on a running surface of a treadmill, movement of the user on the running surface (e.g., towards or away from a front (or rear) of the treadmill), speed and/or acceleration of the user on the running surface, and/or information about movement of the user's legs or other body parts (e.g., arms).
The lower assembly 505 supports an upper assembly 510. The upper assembly 510 includes multiple sidewalls 515A, 515B (which can include multiple arms 517A, 517B) that support a display 512 and various controls (e.g., rotary or button controls) of the treadmill 500. A cross bar 519 extends and is disposed between the sidewalls 515A, 515B, such as via the arms 517A, 517B.
Further details regarding suitable treadmills or other exercise machines that can incorporate or utilize the technology described herein can be found in U.S. patent Application Ser. No. 17/346,166, filed on Jun. 11, 2021, entitled EXERCISE MACHINE CONTROLS, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The treadmill 500 supports one or more ToF sensors (e.g., ToF sensor 210) at various locations or positions on the lower assembly 505 or the upper assembly 510. For example, the cross bar 519 includes a centrally located ToF sensor 520, which can track and capture positional information (e.g., body and/or feet position) about a runner using the treadmill. The ToF sensor 520 (or other ToF sensors or ToF cameras) can be small, discrete (e.g., within a glass covering and protected), have a minimal ID interface, and/or be integrated into the cross bar 519 (or other components of the treadmill 500).
As described herein, the treadmill 500 can include or position ToF sensors at other locations. For example, the upper assembly 510 can include ToF sensors 525A, 525B disposed on inner surfaces of the sidewalls 515A, 515B, and/or ToF sensors 530A, 530B disposed on ends of the sidewalls 515A, 515B (e.g., on ends of the arms 517A, 517B). Further, lower portions or sections of the sidewalls 515A, 515B can include ToF sensors 535A, 535B, such as sensors disposed to track movement of the legs of a runner on the running surface 508 of the treadmill 500.
Thus, in some embodiments, a treadmill can include a deck, a belt having a running surface that moves around the deck, and one or more time-of-flight (ToF) sensors that detect a position (and/or speed or acceleration) of a user of the treadmill on the running surface.
The treadmill can also include an upper assembly that is fixed to the deck via a left sidewall and a right sidewall, where the left sidewall and the right sidewall extend upwards to support the upper assembly, a display fixed to the upper assembly via a cross bar that extends between the left sidewall and the right sidewall, where the ToF sensor is disposed on an outer surface of the cross bar and faces a user of the treadmill on the running surface.
The treadmill, in some cases, includes a left sidewall and a right sidewall that each extend upwards to support an upper assembly, a left ToF sensor disposed on an outer surface of the left sidewall, and a right ToF sensor disposed on an outer surface of the right sidewall.
The treadmill, in some cases, includes an upper assembly that is fixed to the deck via a left sidewall and a right sidewall, where the left sidewall and the right sidewall extend upwards to support the upper assembly, a display fixed to the upper assembly via a cross bar that extends between the left sidewall and the right sidewall, where a ToF sensor is disposed on an outer surface of the cross bar and faces a user of the treadmill on the running surface, a left ToF sensor disposed on an outer surface of the left sidewall, and a right ToF sensor disposed on an outer surface of the right sidewall.
As described herein, the treadmill includes a controller (e.g., the controller 220) and/or associated computing system that can include the treadmill control system 200. The controller 200, which can be a control circuit adapted or configured to control operations of the treadmill, can be coupled to the system 200 (or to the ToF sensors). For example, the treadmill 500 can include a control circuit that is communicatively coupled to a ToF sensor (e.g., the ToF sensor 520) and operates to modify a current operation (e.g. speed, incline, and so on) of the belt 506 based on the position of the user of the treadmill 500 detected by the ToF sensor 520.
Thus, as described herein, when the ToF sensor detects the position of a user within a distinct zone of multiple detection zones that are mapped to the running surface of the belt, the control circuit modifies a current operation of the belt based on the position of the user of the treadmill being within one of the distinct zones of the multiple detection zones.
Having ToF sensors (e.g., the sensors 535A, 535B) disposed at lower areas of the treadmill 500 can enable the treadmill control system 200 to control operations based on detected movement of a user on the treadmill 500, such as when legs of the user are moving in an abnormal or irregular manner or pattern. For example, when a user tires or is compromised due to an injury, their legs may move in a pattern, cadence, or trajectory that is different from a baseline or known patterns, cadence, or trajectory. The system 200 can determine the baseline from previously monitored activities and/or during a current activity (e.g., during a single run). The baseline, in some cases, is set or associated with the speed and/or incline of the treadmill.
In operation 610, the system 200 tracks the movement of legs (and/or feet) of a user running on a running surface of the treadmill. For example, the ToF sensors 535A and/or 535B of the treadmill 500 can detect or capture position, velocity, and/or acceleration information for the legs of a runner and provide that information to the user movement module 206. The tracked information can include a sequence of detecting one or both legs of the user, such as a cadence or pattern of detecting the right leg of the user over a certain time interval and/or differences of movement (or timing of movement) between the left leg and the right leg of the user.
In operation 620, the system 200 determines whether the movement represents an abnormal movement of the legs (and/or feet) of the user. For example, the user movement module 206 can determine that position data indicates a slower (or decreasing) movement of one or both legs of the user, indicating the user is slowing their motion, losing proper form, or otherwise running while compromised due to fitness, injury, or other issues.
In operation 710, the system 200 accesses a current speed of the running surface of the treadmill. In operation 720, the system 200 compares speed information determined from the tracked movement of the legs (and/or feet) of the user to a baseline speed of the legs of the user at the current speed and incline of the running surface of the treadmill. In operation 730, the system 200 determines the abnormal movement of the legs of the user when the speed information determined from the tracked movement of the legs of the user is below the baseline speed.
For example, the system 200 can access information indicating a current speed of the running surface is 9 mph. The system then determines that the runner is moving at 168 strides/minute (based on information detected by the ToF sensors), where they typically run at 170 strides/minute when the treadmill is operating at 9 mph (based on previous running activities or during the current activity). Thus, the system 200 determines the runner is moving abnormally (e.g., below their baseline speed).
Returning back to
Further, in some embodiments, the treadmill 500 can include lower ToF sensors to determine whether a user is running by tracking positions of a user's legs or feet and identify various walking or running movements. The ToF sensors can capture information that indicates that the user is properly operating the treadmill upon detecting periodic movement of legs/feet (versus detecting no common running or walking movements occurring on the treadmill), and/or not-properly operating the treadmill (e.g., a user is detected, but no leg movement is captured).
Thus, in some embodiments, the treadmill control system 200 detects a position of a user on a treadmill (e.g., within a certain zone), and performs actions (e.g., modifies operation, such as speed) based on the detected position. The system can be integrated with various safety control systems (e.g., act as a safety key), and/or control systems of the treadmill 500, such as the controller 220.
Further, the system can utilize other sensed or captured information to perform actions or prevent operation of a treadmill. For example, the deck can include force or weight sensors, and enable use of the treadmill when a measured weight is above a threshold weight (e.g., a user configurable weight or a weight indicative of an adult). In some cases, the treadmill can operate at reduced speeds when the measured weight is below the threshold weight for full operation (e.g., indicating improper use, even the detected position indicates proper use of the treadmill).
Thus, various configurations of ToF sensors and other sensors of a treadmill can determine a user is located at an unsafe or undesired position on a treadmill, is no longer on a treadmill, or is an unauthorized user, and perform actions to modify operations accordingly.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” or any variant thereof, means any connection or coupling, either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling of connection between the elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or”, in reference to a list of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.
The above detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the teachings to the precise form disclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the disclosure are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the disclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.
The teachings of the disclosure provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.
Any patents and applications and other references noted above, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the disclosure can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further embodiments of the disclosure.
These and other changes can be made to the disclosure in light of the above Detailed Description. While the above description describes certain embodiments of the disclosure, and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the teachings can be practiced in many ways. Details of the technology may vary considerably in its implementation details, while still being encompassed by the subject matter disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the disclosure should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the disclosure with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the disclosure to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the disclosure encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the disclosure under the claims.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. Accordingly, the embodiments are not limited except as by the appended claims.
This application is a national phase entry of International Application No. PCT/US22/27886 filed May 5, 2022, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/184,545 filed on May 5, 2021, entitled CONTROLLING OPERATION OF A TREADMILL, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US22/27886 | 5/5/2022 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63184545 | May 2021 | US |
